


Common Houseplants

by galaxiebot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-09 19:52:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12283263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxiebot/pseuds/galaxiebot
Summary: Shiro is a recently turned werewolf who is suffering from some wolf-based allergies, so he’s referred to Keith, a plant Witch known for his medicines. They become fast friends, and while they’re in the woods together working on a permanent solution to Shiro’s allergies they witness something very strange in the Forest of the Queen.Special Werewolf fic just for Halloween! Have a great and safe all Hollow's Eve everyone!





	1. Chapter 1

Shiro didn’t like the way his nails scratched against the cobblestone in this part of town, but he was determined to get where he was going. He trotted his way up the pathway until he could move onto the grass, and even with several people giving him distinctly strange stares, and at least one small child attempting to pet him, Shiro made it behind the front hedges of the shop just where Matt and Katie had said it would be.

He checked the area, the strange alley he’d turned down to get to this round shop which jutted out from a very rectangular building. The front was all rounded windows with thick hedges that created a natural fence following the shape of the storefront. Shiro checked the window before he turned behind the hedge. Sitting his bare butt down in the grass, Shiro tugged on a pair of boxers he’d slipped from the bag he still had tied around his neck.

The bag came off easy, Shiro unraveling the bandana he’d used to make it before he slipped on his pants and then finally a t-shirt. He couldn’t tie off the shirt because the sleeves were too short, but he figured that a plant witch wouldn’t be put off by his lack of arm. He really needed to find a way to carry his prosthetic with him while he was a wolf. The last thing Shiro did was remove the dog collar from his neck, looping it around his belt before he tied the bandana to a belt loop so he could hide the collar. It was difficult to explain to humans why he had a dog collar on him most of the time, so he just kept it as hidden as he could.

Once he was dressed, he wandered into the small shop with his eyes on the window. Matt had mentioned the door went to a lot of different places, but he truly didn’t understand that until he got through the door and the shop was squared off despite the outside being rounded. There was a big bay window, double Shiro’s height that let in so much light that it had to have a Southern exposure, but the shop he’d walked into had been facing East. The rounded window had been thick bottle glass, this was clear and sparkling in the sun with rows of plants butted up against the sill. Four or five rows of potted plants, each row had a walking path directly behind it, moving inwards towards the wooden counter that was directly across from the door. The whole place smelled like warm dirt, but not in a bad way whatsoever,

Shiro couldn’t believe the size, his eyes traveling over the shiplap ceiling down to the clay tile floors, his head nearly twisting to look at the door behind him, the frame painted green with several thick layers of paint. Through the little window, Shiro could see the town he’d just walked through, the grass, the hedges, the gate, the cobblestones, it was all still there. He found himself peering out the tall front window, which looked out onto a beach, the sea silently dipping back and forth as people built sand castles in the sun. It had been overcast where Shiro had come from, so where was this?

“Can I help you?” Shiro nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning on his heels, his eyes getting wide. There was a lump in his throat immediately, the boy was shorter than him, a thick cardigan covering his shoulders, but the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and he was holding a tall plant with spiky leaves. His hands were covered in dirt, thick and black, some crumbling off as he moved his grip on the pot he was holding. Shiro couldn’t help the staring, trying to process how to be a person again as this boy who looked about his age with purple eyes leaned into him more, his brow cocked and his face already annoyed. “Did you need something here? Are you looking for a prosthetic? Because that’s the shop two doors down.”

“Huh?” Shiro looked at his arm, “no, I have allergies. Wait.” He shook his head, the witch mostly just looked confused now, rather than angry, “I mean I’m here for allergy medication.”

“Oh.” The witch straightened up, “then you’re in the right place. I’m Keith, nice to meet you. Sorry for the, well, a lot of people come into the shop just to see how the door works. It’s annoying.”

“It’s fine. Um, how does the door work?” Shiro glanced back at it, and then at the window again as Keith turned down one of the rows of plants, setting down the potted plant amongst a group of others that looked entirely unrelated to it before he wandered back over to where Shiro was waiting.

“I have no idea, I bought it like that,” Keith said, heading for the counter after giving Shiro a shrug. “Anyway, what do you have allergies to?”

Shiro’s eyes followed him, the swift way that Keith moved had all of his attention. “Silver, and chocolate. I’m Takashi Shirogane, by the way, you can call me Shiro.”

“Nice to meet you Shiro,” Keith said. He had his hands on bottles already, focused on what he was doing as he grabbed a mortar and pestle. “Anything else I need to know? Or is it just irritating when you touch it or eat it?”

“Well, I don’t know if this makes an impact, but it only started about six months ago,” Shiro said.

“Oh yeah? That’s weird.” Keith stopped what he was doing and turned to look up at Shiro, “did you make any strange changes to your diet or do something dumb in the forest of the Queen?”

“Well, the second sort of, but I think mostly the biggest thing is that I was turned into a werewolf.” Shiro rubbed his cheek gently, looking up as he tried to remember if he’d changed his diet at all in the past six months. Keith made a face at his bottles, his shoulders hunching up as he stopped what he was doing again.

“You didn’t think, for any reason? That turning into a werewolf might have caused your chocolate and silver allergies?” Keith looked so weary for just a moment, but Shiro just gaped at him and made a quiet, ‘uhh’, noise. Keith sighed, getting up and walking to the counter now, “Okay, what happens when you touch or come into contact with silver?”

“Typically it burns my hand.” It had occurred to Shiro that the silver might have had something to do with being a werewolf, “but it doesn’t bother anyone else in my pack.”

Keith’s eyes got wide for a moment, “oh, that’s really weird. Well, it probably had something to do with the circumstances of your turning. Either way, it’s going to be a bit more complicated than a regular allergy, but I think I could make you something temporary… maybe?”

“I would really appreciate something even if it’s temporary. I work at a banquet hall and can’t clear tables all my coworkers hate me,” he said, “or I have to let myself get burnt.” Shiro rubbed his neck, looking out over the plants.

“Absolutely,” Keith said, sitting back down, “what about chocolate? Is it an allergy, do you swell up or anything?”

“No swelling,” Shiro said, “it upsets my stomach, but then I get hives everywhere and even when I turn I’ll still be itchy.”

Keith hummed, focused on what he was doing for the moment, “well for that one, I’ll probably be able to give you something fairly permanent in about a week. The silver will be longer for sure, but I have to go hunt for some herbs that only grow in particular conditions for both.”

“What kind of conditions?” Shiro asked and then realized he was asking a witch to share his secrets, “if you don’t mind my asking.”

“Dense woods, usually in the root of a tree that’s been scratched up by a wolf, it sounds oddly specific, but I see them all the time,” he said, “the silver requires a full moon, that’s why it’ll take about a month to do that one.”

Keith dumped a vial full of powder into the mortar before adding some liquid from a beaker that he’d set on a flame when he’d first started. Shiro watched with interest, because while his pack was largely witches, in addition to being werewolves, they usually kept to themselves while working. Mrs. Holt spent two weeks alone in a shed to make Shiro’s prosthetic, and even though she did it with Shiro’s own bones he wasn’t allowed inside.

“Do you always do magic in front of people like this?” Shiro asked, cocking his head to one side as Keith mixed the powder and liquid and then pulled a packet out with some silver shavings in it. He dumped that into the mortar and started to crush it, shrugging as he watched what he was doing with his hands.

“Yeah,” Keith said, “this is just the alchemy part, it’s not like anyone could steal my medicine recipes if they don’t know how much I’m using.” Keith stood up, wandering over to Shiro and pointed at a plant in the second row closest to the counter, “mind pulling a leaf off that bluish one for me?”

“Huh, no of course,” Shiro said, taking a step back to grab a leaf and hand it to Keith, “it’s um, it’s interesting though. Most witches I know won’t let people watch.”

Keith looked him over briefly and then went back to his little workstation, “how many witches do you know Mr. Werewolf?”

“Oh, my pack is all witches,” Shiro said. Keith hummed and smiled as he finished carefully cutting the leaf into seven exactly seven pieces with a knife he’d pulled from his belt.

“So you’re in the Holt’s pack then?” Keith grabbed a pill bottle with empty capsules in it, “unless you’re from out of town.”

Shiro perked up, nodding at Keith, “yeah, Matt Holt was the one who turned me. I’ve known him and Katie since we were all little kids.” He paused and bit his cheek gently before adding, “they’re like my siblings.”

“I like Matt and Katie a lot.” Keith laughed and grabbed a bag off the counter, “actually, are you staying with them?”

“Yeah, they made me move in when I turned.” Shiro eyed the bag briefly, he’d seen something like it before, and he knew it was probably for Matt. After all, Matt had been the one who told Shiro to seek Keith out.

“Can you bring this to Matt? I grow it for him, he uses it to make his ink.” Keith handed the bag to Shiro who nodded diligently. It would probably fit fine in the bandana.

“Yeah,” Shiro said. He took the bag and felt his face get hot as Keith smiled at him the way he did. Shiro hadn’t really known what throwing his pack’s name around would do for him, but if it won Keith over like this, it was probably mostly good things.

Keith started a second mixture, taking the one from the mortar so he could start packing it into the empty capsules after fitting each with a bit of the leaf. It seemed meticulous in the same way that Katie’s magic code was, but it also felt distinctly different to Shiro. It felt more homey and natural, like being wrapped in a warm blanket or going out for a run early in the morning after it rained. Everything felt fluid and smelled like grass and Shiro was starting to think he might need to come here a few times a week just to experience it. He was also, maybe crushing on the witch, but he’d only know him a short time, that could change very fast.

“These,” Keith said, setting the bottle of completed pills down, “are for the silver, take them before you go to work or before you’re going to handle silver. You should be good so long as you make sure to take it about half an hour before. Eat before you take it so it doesn’t upset your stomach.”

“Okay,” Shiro said, taking the bottle and looking it over briefly, “what about the chocolate?”

“Can you avoid chocolate for a week, or would you like pills for that too?” Keith folded his arms, leaning towards Shiro on the counter and setting his head in his hand.

“I can probably do that,” he said, “thank you for this, how much?”

Keith made a flippant gesture with his free hand. “Pay me after I’ve made you something permanent, but come back this week and I’ll have three weeks for you, and the medicine for the chocolate.”

“Are you sure?” Shiro frowned, it seemed wrong to take the medicine without paying. “Can I do anything in exchange at least? Run something somewhere?”

“N-, well,” Keith bit his lip and glanced at Shiro briefly, “I, you by no means have to do this for me, but I need werewolf fur for something for another client.”

“That seems fair to me,” Shiro said and smiled. “I can let you have some fur, but can I turn in your bathroom?” This way he didn’t have to strip behind the hedges again.

“Yeah of course,” Keith said, “but warning, when we go through the door, you have to take a hard right starting with your left foot.”

“What?” Shiro furrowed his brow, but Keith was waving for him to follow already, opening the door and swinging right hard with his left foot forward. Shiro tried, he tried very hard, but he stumbled and tripped into the long hallway Keith was waiting for him in, laughing quietly.

“It’s hard to get used to, sorry. A house of many ways like this can present particular problems, my shop is really no different.” Keith waited for Shiro to get up and then led him down the hall to a door which opened up to an apartment. “First door on the left. Don’t worry, this one isn’t weird.”

“Thank you.” Shiro chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Once he was safely in the bathroom though, he made sure the door didn’t catch so he could nudge it back open when he was a wolf. This process went quick, clothes off, medicine wrapped in clothes, bandana wrapped around the clothes and done. He tied that around his neck, put the dog collar back on, and turned, his nails clicking on the tiles beneath him.

Shiro puttered out to Keith, sitting down and letting his tail lay flat. Keith had been staring at his phone, but he looked down at Shiro with more confusion than Shiro had ever seen anyone have over him being a giant wolf when they already knew he was a werewolf.

“I’m, not to be rude, but,” Keith tilted his head, leaning towards Shiro a bit, “I mean, you have all four paws, but you--?” He made a gesture with his hand against his right forearm and honestly, if Shiro had been a person still he would have been laughing hard.

Shiro flicked his ears and smiled as much as a wolf could before yipping at Keith. It was all he could really do besides howl, so he did his best. Keith seemed confused still, but he seemed to realize there was no real way for Shiro to respond at that point, so he dropped it, having Shiro follow him back out to the shop.

Once there, Keith had him sit down, cutting some fur from the ruff around Shiro’s neck and gathered it into a paper which he promptly folded so he wouldn’t lose any. He then gave Shiro a bit of a longing look, so Shiro cocked his head to the side hard, which Keith seemed to understand well enough.

“Well, um, you can definitely say no to this too, but, can I pet you?” Keith looked sort of bashful about asking, and Shiro was a bit over the moon about it. He could feel himself blushing, and he was thankful for his fur. Shiro stood back up, stepping closer to Keith as he gave him a nod, because honestly, there were two things running through his head: fuck yeah ear scratches and he has to ask this witch out. “Oh, wait, really?”

Shiro nodded again, his tail wagging because he couldn’t help it. Keith started with his hand on the top of Shiro’s head, scratching and then starting to treat him like a dog, kneeling down and scratching at Shiro’s ruff. Shiro made a noise for him, rolling over as Keith moved to scratch down his chest, laughing softly when Shiro got on his back. He was panting, it would have been embarrassing if he’d been a person.

“You’re like a big dog, this is great.” Keith laughed and ended his scratching with Shiro’s ears, so Shiro rolled over, laying down flat as Keith ran his nails over his head one last time. “Try not to get lost on your way home Mr. Werewolf.”

Shiro smiled again and nodded before he headed out, his tail wagging as he went. He was in a good mood, getting back to the Holt’s and heading to his room quick. Once he was clothed again, he took Matt the ink ingredients that Keith had given him and then settled in for what was probably going to be the worst week of his life. He was an impatient person, especially when he was excited about something.

Work helped, and then suddenly he was trotting down the cobblestone again, not really minding the way it felt this time as he made his way up to the shop. He stopped in the hedges again, not checking inside before he started to promptly turn back into a person and start pulling his clothes on. Shiro had taken his larger bag, so now he had his prosthetic, slipping that on first before pulling on his boxers and pants.

“You know, there is a doggy door.” Keith was leaning on the low gate in the hedges, his head in his hand and his smile cat-ish. Shiro still didn’t have a shirt on, but he was too busy trying to stutter out a response to notice.

“I uh, how long were you there?” Shiro slipped his shirt on, standing up straight now as Keith laughed and opened the gate.

“You had pants on already, don’t worry.” Keith slid past Shiro, pulling a set of keys from his pocket. Shiro took advantage of being behind Keith to check out his clothes. They were far more formal than what Keith had been wearing the last time Shiro was there. The jacket he was wearing was silver and glimmered in the light, trimmed with ornate black crochet lace, the floss thick enough that Shiro could make out the design clearly.

“Oh good, at least there’s that.” Shiro followed Keith into the shop, marveling at the window again, just briefly, as he tried to avoid the conversation about being naked in front of the shop. “I mean, I couldn’t have gotten in while you weren’t here.”

“I made it so only you could have gotten in before I left,” Keith said, “I guessed you might have changed outside last time, so I figured I’d save you the trouble.”

“Oh, thanks that was sweet of you.” Shiro followed Keith up to the counter again, Keith already slipping off his silvery jacket revealing a nice collared shirt that was matte black with gold buttons. Shiro rubbed the back of his head gently, checking out the store again, “sorry you went to the trouble and I didn’t realize.”

“It’s fine.” Keith smiled at him, rolling up his sleeves and plucking a bag off the table. He set that in front of Shiro. “This is the rest of the pills for the silver, I need to boil down the tea for the chocolate and you have to drink that after it’s gone cold, so you’re sort of stuck here for a bit if that’s okay.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind,” Shiro said, watching Keith empty a few packets of leaves into a small pot before he added a lit of water and set it on a burner. “Why are you so dressed up?”

“I needed this,” Keith said, slipping a packet out of his back pocket, “for the silver remedy, but even powdered dragon’s blood requires a visit to the council.”

“Dragon’s blood? Like the real stuff? Matt always uses the plant-based one for his inks,” Shiro watched Keith set the packet down on his worktable and then knock three times on a chalked out square. The square popped up, revealing a cubby with another packet in it. Keith paused, seemed to double check what was written on the side of the packet in the cubby and then set the dragon’s blood in with it. He returned the square of table and before Shiro could even really see it, the square was right back to being just a chalk line.

“No, this is real,” Keith said, “I consulted a few books, I would have preferred to use a plant-based substitute, but it wouldn’t be enough to make the spell stick. We’d have to re-do it in about a year.”

Shiro hummed softly as Keith checked the now boiling pot of tea and then covered it with a lid. “Sorry you had to go to all the trouble,” Shiro said, “I appreciate it, really.”

Keith said a quick spell, Shiro had heard it before, fire containment, it was something that Mrs. Holt used all the time. He then turned to Shiro, leaning on his elbows over the counter. “It’s fine, the council is stuffy, but they like me because I’m respectful. Even if I don’t really agree with everything they do.”

“Well, what are we going to do until that’s done?” Shiro looked the pot over and then back at Keith who just shrugged easily.

“Up to you really, it only needs to boil a few more minutes, but it has to get cold too and that will take a while.” There was a lilt in the way Keith said it, his eyes bouncing off to one side rather than staying on Shiro, if Shiro hadn’t been looking, he probably wouldn’t have caught it at all.

Shiro leaned on his elbows just a bit, mulling over the phrasing of what he wanted to say next. “Well, if it’s got to get cold, we can go to lunch. I’d like to hear more about what you’re doing during the full moon.” He was careful to provide an excuse for why he wanted to go to lunch in case he’d read this situation wrong.

But Keith’s smile got wide, “that sounds good to me. There’s a cafe near here that’s nice and quiet this time of day.” Shiro promptly agreed to that and in about five minutes, they were off to the cafe while Shiro’s medicine cooled off.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro jogged up to the round shop, swinging the door open quickly as the sun went down behind him. Keith looked startled behind the counter. He didn’t even flinch as Shiro swept past him, his bag coming off his shoulder, his work clothes still on.

“Moon is coming up, sorry.” Shiro spat his words out, taking a hard right through Keith’s door hoping to god he didn’t do it wrong because last time he had he’d wound up in a meadow instead of Keith’s apartment. When he found himself on carpet he was relieved, getting in the bathroom and stripping before he turned into a wolf and ruined all of his work clothes.

He just barely got everything in the bag before the moon was high enough to have an effect on him. It was also just about then that he realized he’d closed the bathroom door completely. Shiro whined, sitting down and hoping that Keith figured out where he was because he didn’t know how sound traveled in a place that had so many different spaces inside of it.

Keith popped the door open in the next second, “door close on you?”

Shiro yipped at him for confirmation, and Keith carefully leaned over to pick up Shiro’s bag, hanging it on a hook by his front door. He then poked through it long enough to find Shiro’s phone and slipped that into his pocket.

“Do you need anything else out of your bag?” Keith looked at Shiro so Shiro could shake his head and trot along behind him, but Keith paused and grabbed Shiro’s collar from the bag. He knelt down in front of him now, the cloak he was wearing falling to surround Shiro just a bit and it instantly felt warmer than sitting near a fire. Keith slipped the collar over his head, giving his ears a pat now, “we might need this.”

Shrio had come to really like being a wolf around Keith, because it meant the usually more reserved Keith would chatter at him, quietly. He said it was because it was strange not to be out with a person and not talk to them at all, which Shiro understood. Keith was also testing spells to see if he could make it so they could temporarily communicate telepathically like it was normal, but most of his research had turned up permanent changes and they’d both decided that wasn’t a good idea for now. Even if they were sort of dating, at least Shiro hoped they were sort of dating, it would be weird to be in each other’s heads all the time.

“So we have to go into the forest of the Queen,” Keith said, “I’m not sure if you’ve been, but everything magic is going to feel a lot stronger there. Since you’re sensitive already, make sure to tell me somehow if you’re feeling weird.” Keith led Shiro over the cobblestones outside his shop, making his way through the town fast. They were headed South towards the Holt’s where Shiro had been staying, which meant it was more than likely the wood that was in their backyard unless they took a sharp turn somewhere. The moon was low in the sky still, and Shiro was sticking close to Keith as they made their way through merchants who were packing in for the weekend and heading out for fun nights with their friends. Everything was loud, and the town was lit up as it always would be.

Soon they were on soft grass, the part of town controlled by the gaggle of bureaucratic nature witches that spent most of their time beautifying rather than getting anything done. Keith was telling Shiro this was they walked through the rather scenic streets, all the tall spires on the buildings pulling in towards to make it look like it was covered in arches. The slate used on the roof of nearly every building in this area had to be fake according to Keith, because it would be too square and too heavy to stay on the round, pointy tops, most of which were hung with heavy flags that displayed the colors of the witch who owned the building.

“These planters are new,” Keith said as they went by several large boxes that had magic swarming around them. They were so caked in layers and layers of spells that they were giving Shiro a headache already. He started to think he might be more sensitive to magic as a wolf, or during a full moon, he wasn’t sure. But each planter was a different biome, which was why they had so much heavy magic on them, and Keith seemed to consider them a bit longer than most of the other things in that part of town. “These are the only things in this whole quarter that actually serve a purpose.”

Keith patted the last one they walked past and then they were in the part of town made entirely of wet wood. Shiro actually knew this story, the town had a habit of burning down at some point, but the mayor loved the wooden architecture, so he asked a powerful warlock to make wood that could always be wet, but never rot. Everyone was shocked when he managed to do it, returning with the wet wood which they used to rebuild most of the town. The only problem was about five years later it started to smell like rot even if it wasn’t rotting and there was nothing anyone could do and no one could find the warlock who had made the wood. They stopped building the town out of that wood then.

“I still can’t believe people live in this part of town,” Keith said. His nose was scrunched in a way that implied he didn’t like the smell, but it wasn’t bothering Shiro too much, even as a wolf. They headed down a twisting street that led to more spread out houses, most large with sweeping lawns. It wasn’t too much longer before they passed the Holt’s house, both glancing over the mouse-colored siding and intricate trim work. “You live on the third floor right? That’s where Katie and Matt grew up?”

Shiro nodded and Keith just hummed after that. Shiro lived what was technically the attic, but it had its own bathroom which he appreciated since he wasn’t actually related to any of the people he now lived with and he’d never lived with anyone else before.

“Hm. I imagined it more witchy, since they’re all witches.” Keith followed a fork in the path, heading up towards the foothills of the distant mountains where the forest was the thickest. Shiro really wanted to ask what could make a house more witchy, but he was one, a wolf, and two, distracted by something in the bushes as they entered the woods.

He dug in, coming up with a rabbit and as terrible as it felt the moment after he did it, he snapped its neck quickly. By the time it was in his mouth, it was already done for anyway. Keith didn’t look bothered, he probably knew it was something that werewolves did and couldn’t necessarily control. The first full moon is always the worst though, the first full moon of a different werewolf is exactly why Shiro was a werewolf himself.

“It’s okay. You couldn’t help yourself, I know.” Keith must have recognized the guilty look on Shiro’s face as he paused to dig a hole. He made sure it was deep enough, carefully placing the rabbit inside and burying it. He was used to having to do this, it was something he did with Matt quite often because he was still within his first year. Shiro hated doing it in front of people who weren’t wolves though, even if Keith understood. “Take your time, okay?”

Shiro shook his head, getting up at Keith’s side again so he’d know it was okay to carry on. He didn’t want to harp on the rabbit too much, but honestly, it was probably better that he had a hunt before they got into the thick of things that night. It would be better if he was more in control later because of it.

Keith pulled the cloak he was wearing in closer, the red fabric serving as a bit of beacon in the dark woods which were oddly bright because of the moon. This was actually something Shiro was used to, since the lower section was where his pack normally hunted on a full moon. Keith stopped though, short enough that Shiro almost kept going without him.

When Shiro looked back, Keith was staring at the moon, a frown on his face and his brow furrowed as he looked through the treetops. “Sorry,” he said after a moment, “but they’re missing a lot of leaves for this time of year. I was thinking about what could have happened. I scavenge around here a lot, I’ve never seen anything like the trees losing their leaves early.”

It was only now that Shiro was noticing just how many leaves were on the ground. They covered the path they were on like a blanket. Shiro nodded at Keith and Keith bit his lip, looking down at Shiro for a moment before he patted Shiro’s head. Keith would do this sometimes, it was more of a comfort to himself than it was to Shiro, but Shiro liked it too. It was like the careful touch of someone he’d just started dating while they were still trying to understand each other. And he and Keith were together, or Shiro was hoping that they were since they hadn’t had a real conversation about it yet, but they’d spent a lot of time together.

“Keep your wits about you okay? The Fae Queen is only neutral towards other magical beings,” Keith said, continuing on the path that was growing more narrow the deeper they went, “she is kind like her father, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make her angry.”

Shiro yipped and Keith smiled, leading them down another fork, two rights so far, but nothing hard enough to turn them back. Then they were taking a left at the next, and Shiro was being careful to sniff the areas they were passing through he could lead them back without his sight if he had to. It was an innate precautionary measure he’d had since he’d become a wolf. The Holts had told him it was a sense that could lead him to anything he needed if he was careful to develop it. This was like practice and it would ensure that he and Keith were safe.

They were in the dense woods when they came upon an entirely new path. It crossed over the one they were on, and Keith took it, leading them up man-made stairs as the trees climbed the foothills around them. It was quiet, uncomfortably so, and Shiro was beginning to understand why Keith was so willing to take him with. The further up they got, the more the trees blocked out the moon and the darker the woods became. Things were an eerie green from what light came through the leaves. Even with the advanced night vision, Shiro had as a wolf, it was getting difficult to make out every shape he was seeing.

“Stop a second,” Keith said when it started to get so dark Shiro could hardly make out his red cloak. “A rope to keep us together is a rope with a strong bond.” It wasn’t a spell like Shiro had ever heard, but then when Keith touched the collar around Shiro’s neck and pulled his hand back, rope came with it, golden and glowing just enough to provide them a tiny bit of light. “I can’t use a spell to give us a lantern here. It will fizzle out because of the Fae have more power here. This is a workaround.” 

Shiro couldn’t really tell him it was okay, so he opted for getting closer and rubbing up on Keith’s leg, it was just a small gesture. They continued on, finding the top of the stairs and walking for what felt like miles in the unsettling green of the forest. His paws were beginning to ache when Keith stopped, a stream of moonlight settling over a rock which just barely peeked out of the dry dirt path.

“Ah, this might be it,” Keith said, pausing to kneel near the rock and pulling something out to carefully begging to dig around it. “Keep your eyes open please. This could be a trap, but we need this.”

There was a nod that Shiro knew Keith couldn’t see, but he kept close, his eyes on Keith’s six as he readied himself for anything. If Shiro was honest with himself, he’d felt the magic building in the distance, creeping into his skull and giving him a headache, but he told himself he was just tired, that they’d walked a long way, the forest can play tricks like that. He should have alerted Keith sooner but was only when a glint of silver, shot through the air that he realized he should have listened to his gut. There was something bright and powerful flying through the air, and it was headed for them. It didn’t seem to be stopping, the lights firing high and moving in the shape of humans or maybe fae. It was two figures fighting, fae or not they were so powerful that Shiro suddenly felt the burn of a migraine in his brain. Shiro barked and howled, trying to keep it away as it grew closer fast.

Keith looked up, and Shiro looked at him before turning to growl at the two figures flying through the air, he wasn’t sure why he thought it would help, but he howled and barked and tried his hardest to get their attention. They were too busy fighting with each other for control and didn’t seem to be paying Keith and Shiro any mind. Shiro got in front of Keith, trying to shield him in whatever way he could.

“We have to go,” Keith said, but it was too late. The figures flew over them and the force of the wind sent them flying after the silver and the purplish lights. Keith was clinging to the rope, and Shiro was flailing because it was all he could do, the wake of the fight had thrown them easily, Shiro was hit with water at some point, his head spinning from all the stimulus and pain.

The wind carried them far into the forest, at some point, Keith managed to grab onto Shiro and pull him against his chest so they wouldn’t be so open. The pull so strong that they found themselves along on for whatever ride they’d gotten trapped in, Keith saying quick incantations to keep them from getting hurt too bad when they swung through a bunch of tree branches fast and then flew into a clearing.

It was only then that they fell onto the ground, the wind carrying the silver and the purple figures up and then drove them straight into a lake. Keith grabbed Shiro, tugging him into a bush. The incantation Keith was chanting changed, Shiro had heard this one before, it was for hiding and Pidge had used it when she was a kid whenever she was scared she’d be in trouble.

Keith was holding onto him still, and the rope, Shiro pressed up against his chest as they looked out on the water. The lake was going from a crystal clear blue to a thick murky brown and then to a purplish black as just one figure rose from the center and it wasn’t the silver one. Water was steaming and boiling at the figure’s feet as it feathered out like the lake was becoming thick enough to spread and overflow. The figure was tall, almost double Shiro’s height and for the lack of a better word, intimidating, even to Shiro, who was not exactly a defenseless human or wolf.

But this figure was foreboding, Shiro couldn’t tell if they were human or they were fae. His face all sharp angles and hard gray skin with the lightest tint of the same purple that was glowing from his eyes. Heavy chested with broad shoulders, as the figure grew from the small lake it grimaced and the water started to steam off of him. Their triangular eyes glowed in the same eerie light that the forest did. Only they were purple and they were fixating on the bush that Keith and Shiro were inside.

“I’ll assume you know better than to tell anyone what you saw. I have no time for petty mortals,” he said. Whatever he was doing, the steam was making him seem to be in a cloud of magic, but his eyes stopped glowing right about then. The whites were yellow and the irises still purple. Keith tightened his grip on Shiro, and Shiro shifted in front of Keith more growling as Keith clung to his collar. “Leave.”

Then he flicked his wrist, and Keith and Shiro went flying again, this time straight through the trees, no incantation, just a lot of pain and scratches and clinging to each other. They stopped when they hit a huge tree, it was wide enough to be the tree of life, and it had a gap in the very front of its branches meaning they were in another cascade of moonlight when Shiro’s eyes peeled themselves open.

Keith was lying against the tree, his head roaming back and forth slowly as he muttered in whatever state of unrest he was in. Shiro got up, doing the first thing he thought of which was to lick Keith’s face since none of his other skin was exposed. It woke him up, Keith jumping and nearly having a heart attack.

“Oh thank god it’s you.” Keith sighed and bent forward and in the next moment, Shiro felt the sudden release of the moon, and the light around them started to get brighter. “Whoa the sun is up,” Keith coughed and shifted, “what the hell? How long were we out?”

Shiro shook his head and then looked around slowly, turning to get into a bush where Keith couldn’t see him before he turned back into a person, he had no clothes, but he needed to talk to Keith. “What did we see last night?” It was the first thing out of his mouth and Keith sighed.

“I’m not sure, but my guess is a fight between two fae, but they were, they were powerful.” Keith leaned back on the tree, Shiro could just see him as he coughed and shook his head. “Do you want me to get you some clothes? I think I know the way back without your sense of smell.”

“Yeah.” Shiro ran a hand through his hair and shivered, it was a cold morning and it was always colder in the woods. Keith said a quick phrase, and then came up behind him with his eyes closed, which meant he set the small pile clothes from Shiro’s bag back at Keith’s apartment on top of Shiro’s head. Shiro chuckled, taking the joggers he’d brought with them first. Sometimes it was easier to bring comfortable pants then have to worry about the boxers and the extra layer. “Thank you.”

He pulled on his clothes and stood, Keith still facing away from him with his cloak held close around his arms. “We got what we needed at least, but I don’t understand what we saw last night,” Keith coughed pulling his cloak closer, “and I think sleeping in the woods made me sick.”

“I have no idea either.” Shiro wandered up to Keith’s side, “but we’re both alive. I think that might be the most important thing.”

“You’re right, let’s go.” Keith gave a weary look to the leaves falling from the tops of the trees again. “Want to get something to eat on the way back?”

“Yeah, let’s stop for breakfast.” Shiro slipped his hand around Keith’s when Keith offered it to him, but one of Keith’s hands stayed pinned to the front of his cloak to keep it closed. He shivered most of the way out of the woods, coughing hard enough occasionally that they had to stop. Finally, when they reached the small cafe that was a few blocks down from the Holt’s family home it seemed to let up, Keith was coughing less and drinking tea.

It was harder and harder to remember what had happened in the woods as they ate, almost like the two of them had dreamt of the silver flashes and the purplish man who struck terror in both of them. There was a vague memory of the wind carrying them, but Shiro didn’t remember flying while Keith did.

They both started to avoid the topic soon, instead favoring eating their meals. Shiro had two thick pancakes that he covered in maple syrup and butter. They were sharing a plate of bacon and a side of sausage, the two of them choose to eat as much as they could because they were both ravenous once they’d sat down.

Keith was shoving an omelet in his mouth when Mrs. Holt walked in, her wool coat on and a wand made of amethyst in hand. She spotted them quickly, heading to their table with her ‘council’ look about her. It was something Shiro had noticed she’d do when she was trying her hardest to be diplomatic, and she was a high ranking member of the Witch’s Council, so she seemed to always approach Keith this way at first. It was a level a respect that Shiro had seen between most established witches, Keith straightened up and set down his fork when she approached.

“I’m glad to see the two of you are okay,” Mrs. Holt paused to cup Shiro’s cheek and give him a concerned look over before she settled her hand on his shoulder, “neither of you are hurt either. Did you get caught in the light show at all last night?” Her look was now more of a scared mother, she certainly treated Shiro like her child, but he’d yet to see her do with Keith. Always giving Keith his space. Before Shiro had met Keith and seen Keith and Mrs. Holt interact, honestly he’d thought she treated everyone under the age of thirty like her child.

Either way, neither of them had any idea what she was talking about. They exchanged a look, and then with a tilt of his head, Keith turned to face her better, “light show? Did something happen?”

“Ah good.” Mrs. Holt relaxed, “so nothing strange happened to you in the woods last night?”

“Not that I can remember.” Shiro looked at Keith again, a headache blooming in the back of his head. It meant someone must have been doing some strong magic nearby, but they were doing road construction, so that was probably all it was.

“No,” Keith said, “we found root we needed, and then…. What took us so long to get back?”

Shiro furrowed his brow, sharing another look with Keith, but nothing came to mind. “I don’t know. I think we just walked back as soon as we were done.” They both frowned, but Mrs. Holt seemed unconcerned.

“If you didn’t see the lights of those two fae fighting, then it’s more than likely you just got looped in the forest for a bit. It’s not abnormal for the Forest of the Queen to act like a maze.” She gave them a gentle smile and patted the back of Shiro’s head lovingly. “You made it out safely, that’s what matters.”

“I guess you’re right.” Keith still seemed unnerved, but Mrs. Holt simply told them to enjoy their breakfast and carried on with her day. Shiro wasn’t exactly feeling right about it either, but he had some feeling that he should go back into the woods. It was like he was being pulled by his hair in that direction, the tingling feeling of being forced backward while someone held onto him. But if two Fae had been fighting in there the night before, they probably didn’t want to go anywhere near those woods for a long time.

Keith finished his food first, waiting for Shiro and coughing here or there. On their way home they stopped at the tea shop that Keith trusted to blend the leaves right, there was only one in a ten mile radius that he trusted to do anything at all really, but luckily they could get to it using a special entrance in an alleyway that would bring them to the next Kingdom over. It was a quick trip either way, nd by the time they were in front of Keith’s shop everything seemed back to normal except for the way Keith coughed after Shiro kissed him goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith’s coughing didn’t go away. It was Spring, and then it was Summer, and then it was Fall and Winter was close at hand. Keith’s plants were getting worse, no matter how hard Shiro tried to take care of them, water them, and keep them warm, they seemed to wilt as Shiro watched. He had dropped everything, doing his best to help Keith keep his shop afloat, Shiro’s allergies long gone thanks to Keith’s handiwork, but there was so much more in his life now, and it seemed like his own health problems were just replaced with the guilt that he’d gotten Keith sick and Keith couldn’t seem to shake it.

“There’s no way it was your fault.” Keith was sitting up behind the counter of the shop, a blanket tight around his shoulders. He was on a good swing that week, things seemed to be looking up in general, there was a lot of business coming into the shop, and in the past month or so, the Holts had cleared Shiro to sleep in other places so long as he was home for the full moon. As much as they had treated him like a grounded child his first year of being a werewolf, he appreciated them all looking out for him. “Really Shiro, I’m not sick because of you. I’ll figure it out soon.”

Shiro sighed, “I know. But I’ve been thinking. Maybe we need to approach this all from a different angle.” He straightened up, probably looking crazy, because honestly, if you put a bulletin board behind him with a lot of string and newspaper, he’d look like a conspiracy theorist. Keith had told him so several times. Now, he looked cautiously intrigued, although most of the time he seemed to think Shiro’s ideas were heading in the right direction.

“Oh yeah?” Keith crossed his arms, settling into his work stool sideways.

“I think maybe instead of trying to make you less sick, we should try to remember everything that happened that night.” Shiro shifted to get up on the counter, sitting with his shoulders slightly hunched, “not that I don’t want you to get better, but it might be a way to give us a clue as to what’s making you so sick.”

“No.” Keith was slow, Shiro could see the gears turning in Keith’s head, “No I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all. A memory spell might be a better workaround for the magic in the forest that wiped our memories.”

“Do you think it might work then?” Shiro followed Keith as he jumped up and headed for the back of the shop, taking a swift left when he went through the door which brought them to his workshop. The room was warm, all wood and absolutely covered in plants and UV spells. It made Shiro’s headache creep up his neck and into his skull since it seemed to live there now. Even when he wasn’t around a lot of magic it seemed to be that he had a headache of some sort. It was probably all the stress.

“Yeah, we just need the right spell.” Keith was at a book shelf, the blanket falling off his shoulders as he reached for a book and it slipped from its spot on the shelf. He left the blanket, coughing as he stepped over it and settled in the middle of the room, the book on the floor next to him and chalk already in hand. “This one is strong, can you grab that bush over there?”

Shiro followed his instructions as Keith coughed his way through explaining them. They settled the bush in the middle of the circle Keith had drawn. It wasn’t very big, but he had Shiro turn into a wolf and then sat him on top of the right-hand side of the chalk outline. He sat very still as Keith finished setting up slowly since Shiro couldn’t help now that he was a wolf.

“Don’t move a muscle, okay?” Keith coughed and let it wrack his whole body a moment before he got settled across from Shiro. He then quickly started to chant, the bush in the center growing and glowing and turning bright red before it burst into flames. Keith didn’t seem to mind, he just kept pushing, the spell working its way against the inside of Shiro’s head and making him want to squirm, but he kept still. Very still.

Pretty soon the plant was producing such hot flames that it turned white and began to crumble in on itself. Keith kept chanting, his lips moving fast as he neared what Shiro was guessing had to be the end, but then the ceramic pot the bush lived in was burning and there was an explosive moment of pain where all the memories, or at least as many as they could get, came flooding back into his head.

He could see the gruesome figure that had been fighting that other fae, he could feel the fear in his bones and the need he’d had to protect Keith. Hitting the tree was the next thing he got, then the ride they’d taken through the air while he flailed and Keith gripped the rope he’d used to tether them together. Shiro was hyperventilating, everything was out of order and disorienting, the flood making his stomach sick and his headache was in full bloom as he fell forward and broke the potted bush with his head. He was bleeding, enough for it to startle him, and the next thing he knew Keith was rolling him over and leaning down to lick the cut on his forehead. Keith then slapped a leaf down on it.

“God, I’m so sorry.” Keith looked panicked, “I might have gone a little too rough for you.”

Shiro stared at him, naked and confused. He didn’t remember turning back into a human, but here he was. At least they were alone. “‘S fine,” he slurred, “headache’s worse though.” Shrio smiled and gave Keith a thumbs up, which earned Shiro an exasperated sigh from Keith.

“No shit, you just turned back into a human and broke your face on a houseplant.” He dropped his shoulders and rubbed the lead down on Shiro’s head a moment before he pulled it off. “Did you remember anything?”

Keith coughed, helping Shiro sit up and getting him some pants before they settled themselves on the floor for a bit. Shiro needed the floor time, so he figured this was for the better, just sitting on the floor with a cup of tea that Keith hastily made him. Keith himself was looking woozy, but they managed to each talk a bit about what they’d remembered during the spell.

Most of the summary consisted of: they’d gotten caught in the fight, there was that scary guy and the silver guy and the leaves seemed to be missing. After a long talk and the tea going cold, they decided it really only meant one thing and that was maybe the best way to cure Keith’s ailments was to use materials from the forest to make medicine. Which led to Keith very carefully drawing out roots and leaves and making lists of things he needed Shiro to bring back to him.

He just hoped it would be enough, trotting along the cobblestone path and to the Forest of the Queen again Shiro’s headache finally died away for the first time in a long time. At least the one that settled in the back of his neck and radiated up, there was still one in his temple vaguely from when he’d fallen on the houseplant. Either way, it was something that he thought of as he entered the woods, heading up the way Keith and he had the night they’d seen all the lights.

When he got deep enough, he turned back into a person, pulling on his prosthetic and getting dressed quickly. It didn’t take long for him to get wrapped up in things, digging for roots or gently plucking leaves. His bag was getting full fast, but he still had a lot on the list, and as he walked towards where they’d seen that fight previously, he could feel something pulling him closer and closer. It was a feeling he didn’t particularly like, so he was resisting it and focusing on what Keith had told him to do.

“Oh no, you misunderstood.” The voice was, sweet almost? It was still enough to make Shiro jump, his hand going to his bag to protect it, because it might be the only way he could help Keith get better. “You were supposed to bring the halfling witch back with you.”

The girl had her hands on her hips, her wings light and jittering behind her while she wore a rather disapproving look on her face, she was pretty with bright eyes. Then Shiro caught it, her pupils were pink and he was backing up before he could even really think about it. The last thing he needed was to get spirited away by a fae and never return to his sick boyfriend.

“Don’t run, I won’t hurt you, but you need the witch!” She huffed again and crossed her arms, more frustrated than she seemed to be before, “I don’t know why I’m telling you. I wish humans didn’t forget everything the moment they left the forest. It makes it so hard to get help.”

“I’m a werewolf?” Shiro said it and then immediately regretted it, because for a moment she looked so frustrated that she might hurt him. He straightened up, trying to act more like himself even if he was thinking about Keith never seeing him again, “sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. What do you need help with?”

She seemed to change, her whole demeanor getting less threatening as her wings sagged, “the forest is dying and I think the only one strong enough to help is the witch you were here with months ago. I’ve been trying to draw you both back since.”

“Have you been making Keith sick?” He asked. She shook her head and crossed her arms, and Shiro was suddenly paternal, wishing he could do more for her. She looked so scared, her frame shrinking despite her broad shoulders and the strength in her eyes.

“He’s a plant witch, the sicker the plants become, the sicker he will get,” she said, “I’m sorry, but the medicine you were planning won’t help.”

Shiro looked down at the bag of herbs and roots he’d collected and then locked his jaw. “Tell me what’s going on, I know I’ll forget, but tell me and I’ll find a way to get back here.” She looked skeptical, but she started telling a winding story to Shiro, taking away the bag he was holding and trying to drill the details into his head. Shiro wasn’t sure if it was going work, his head felt like it was filling up with smoke from all the magic this fae was putting off on top of the normal magic that was in the forest.

He stopped near the edge of the forest, looking out towards the last bit of the path he was on, he was already struggling to remember her story, but he pulled out a pen and wrote down her name on his arm, hoping it would help.

“Do you remember your mission?” She asked, her eyes intense as she looked up at Shiro. He honestly didn’t remember very much of it, but he didn’t want to say that to her, so instead, he nodded.

“I’m trying my hardest.” He could see how her shoulders dropped again, she didn’t have a lot of faith. Shiro could do this, he believed in himself.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, “so I’m sorry, but it seems like this is asking for you.” She took Shiro’s hand, his prosthetic hand and leaned into it, blowing on the palm and Shiro felt his head rush like all the blood fell to his feet. She pressed a gem into the palm of his hand, the prosthetic glowing purple and then returning to it’s normal, woody look. He thought he might faint, but he stumbled backward and felt his back hit a tree. “Keep it safe.”

His head was pounding and the fae was gone. Shiro had a feeling he might have been had, but he stumbled down the path and back towards Keith’s shop, stopping at the Holt’s on the way to pick up some kind of pain relief medicine as he tried to repeat the phrase he needed to say to Keith when he got back.

When he walked into the shop, Keith was sitting at his work desk behind the counter, coughing and chugging tea, almost simultaneously. Keith smiled when he saw Shiro, “hi babe. Did you find everything?”

Everything drained out of Shiro’s head, setting the bag on the counter. “Shit,” Shiro frowned, his brow furrowed and he gripped the bag tightly as he tried to remember, “no I didn’t, but there was a reason why.”

Keith looked concerned, getting up and pulling his blanket closer on his shoulders, “are you okay? It’s okay if you didn’t get everything, so long as you’re safe. I know how that forest can be.”

“No, it was,” Shiro frowned and looked over his arm for some reason, checking just above the prosthetic, but there was nothing there, “there was something important I had to tell you. Somebody told me I needed to tell you something while I was in the woods.”

“You met someone in the woods?” Keith looked honestly concerned, and Shiro didn’t blame him. Meeting someone in the woods usually meant meeting a fae, but for some reason, Shiro felt completely safe. He looked over his arm again, like he should have written something there, and then Keith carefully took his hand. “What’s this?”

He turned over Shiro’s prosthetic, his thumb going over the palm and then a spark flashed over Shiro’s outstretched hand and out of it grew a small plant with a single, large leaf. Shiro made a face, and Keith just stared a moment before looking at him for answers. “I could not tell you,” Shiro said.

The plant wobbled and shriveled, beginning to curl in on itself and die. Shiro didn’t really think anything of it, he just hoped that it hadn’t affected the magic that made his prosthetic work. Keith looked worried though, and then he looked out over his own plants, moving around the counter to walk through them. He touched a few, checked them, looked back at Shiro and furrowed his brow. “You’ve been following my routine to take care of all of these exactly, right?”

“Yes of course,” Shiro said, “Fast drainage plants get water Monday mornings, sand on Friday evenings, anything in a blue pot is watered twice a day, green gets three, and plain ceramic every other. Fertilizer on fast drainage plants once a month and fertilizer on everything else every other week. I use the fertilizer you have labeled in the back too.

Keith frowned, “then none of them should be dying….”

“If none of them should be dying, then why are they?” Shiro tilted his head, his arms crossed once he’d broken the plant away from his palm. It only left a little pink mark.

“Because there’s something wrong with the balance of magic.” Keith was moving faster now, coughing and running around the counter. He walked to his desk, tapping the white chalk line to raise the top of the hiding spot again, pulling out the dragon’s blood he’d gotten so long ago for the spell he used for Shiro’s allergy medication. He poured it out into his morter, his eyes getting wide as he stared at the pile of dried blood, “it’s gone bad.”

“Um?” Shiro was lost, which was sort of usual, but Keith stopped to explain more often normally. Keith hacked, his hand shaking as he took a bottle from its stand and poured some of the liquid into the dragon’s blood. Shiro felt his headache get worse, a hand on the back of his head when he started to feel that pulling sensation again. It was like someone was tugging on a string that went right through his skull and had been tied to something in there.

“Dragon’s blood doesn’t go bad, it doesn’t go bad unless something is very, very wrong,” Keith was hacking harder, and Shiro’s head was getting worse, “We need to, we need to do something to set it right.” Keith was coughing so hard he was barely breathing now, so Shiro walked around to help keep him up. He helped Keith into his apartment, leading him to the bed and carefully helping him settled down.

He’d taken a turn for the worse, Keith’s whole body was shaking and shivering as Shiro tried to add blankets to keep him warm, finally Shiro turned into a wolf, settling himself on Keith’s chest to keep him warm. It was the only thing that worked. Keith coughed, feverish as he looked down at Shiro’s face and gently ran his fingers over Shiro’s ears.

“We need to go back to the woods Shiro,” he coughed, “I’ll make it, it will be okay.”

Shiro wasn’t so sure about that, his ears back against his head as he thought about going to the woods that day. He only remembered a bit, his head was still pounding and his boyfriend was only getting more and sicker. Shiro needed to do something, and that pulling in his skull came back. They needed to return to the woods, they needed to go to where they’d seen those two fae fighting, it was like he’d known this all along but hadn’t listened to himself before.

He huffed at Keith, and Keith seemed to understand that it was something Keith would have to wait for, even if he wanted to go now he was too weak. There wasn’t an upswing this time, Keith was getting worse, so finally, Shiro decided to stop waiting around and letting Keith get worse. He packed a small bag, wrapped Keith in a thick cloak and got him on his back.

Shiro headed down the cobblestone, Keith coughing and mumbling in a feverish daze. It hadn’t broken in a few days, Shiro just hoped he wasn’t making the wrong decision. The plants in the district just South of Keith’s shop were dying, there was no grass anywhere, even the houseplants on the Holt’s porch that were put there often to sun them were looking shriveled. They had to try something, and this was the only thing Shiro had left.


	4. Chapter 4

Shiro’s breathing was getting heavy, his eyes fluttering over the entrance to the woods as he readjusted Keith on his back. Keith had turned into dead weight, and Shiro just hoped he was asleep.

He started the long walk down the trail he and Keith had followed, unsure if it was the best way to get back to that lake or not, but here he was, plodding down the dirt path in the cold of late winter and wishing he’d thrown another layer on both himself and Keith. It would be all right, Keith radiated warmth all the time, even when he was sick. It was only getting worse now, Keith’s his fever went on another upswing and Shiro feared he didn’t have a lot of time left.

Shiro tried his hardest not to disturb Keith too much, but his feet ached as the sun melted into the far horizon, walking slower than he had before with the added weight of Keith in his arms. He could feel Keith breathing at least, but the path seemed endless. Shiro worried they were going to get lost in the woods, the siren’s call and the headache pulling him there had just been a trap all along.

He found himself in the spot where they’d dug up the root for the potion that allowed Shiro to touch silver without harm. He looked over the hole, cut around in a pristine circle so Keith could get a good sample. It hadn’t filled in, so he stared because it should have filled in by now, and he was not sure how to find the lake from there, they’d been dragged along by those fae when they’d been fighting.

Shiro took a deep breath, his eyes on the ground and he tried to remember the directions they’d flown, but he had been flailing so much. He took another deep breath, phantom pain from his right hand and a buzzing in his head telling him which way to go now, the forest beginning to swirl around him as he heard a soft voice in the distance telling him he was right. He needed to keep going. That was the way. Just a few more miles. Save the witch. Save the forest.

His head was pounding, the path feeling less and less like a path and more like a never-ending dream. Everything was heavy and green, the sun going down a second time. The last bit of warmth he had for Keith was starting to fall under the horizon, leaving Keith shivering and muttering as he clung to Shiro’s shirt. Shiro was restless even though he never stopped moving, and the headache only seemed to get worse.

“Where,” Keith coughed and shivered, leaning closer to Shiro’s ears, “where are we? It feels, warmer.” Shiro looked back at him, shifting to press their heads close, trying to gauge Keith’s fever. It seemed to be breaking again, maybe that was just wishful thinking, but Keith felt closer in temperature to Shiro than he had before. “Why are the trees dead?”

Shiro stopped, dead in his tracks as he looked around at the trees and found that they were all bare, the branches curling and breaking off in a way he’d only seen a tree do when it was completely dead. The bushes were all husks along either side of the small path, and even the most resilient vines that crept along the trunks of the trees were beginning to brown and pull away from the bark. “We’re in the Forest of the Queen. It was all I could think to do for you.”

Keith swallowed audibly and made a pathetic noise, “solid plan. Wish I’d been conscious when you made that decision.” He winced and shifted in Shiro’s hands, “put me down please? I feel like, I feel as though there’s something calling me.”

“Okay,” Shiro said, carefully setting Keith down. Keith staggered, his hands naturally pulling his cloak around him tighter as he made his way ahead of Shiro now. Shiro followed close, his arms extended in case Keith fell. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Shiro was starting to get a bad feeling in his stomach, watching Keith move carefully towards a line of dead trees. Keith just nodded, leading him through what wasn’t really a path so much as a set of footprints in the dying plants which had been made weeks ago. They followed the old footsteps just a few feet before they were in a clearing with a muddy lake in the center, gleaming with desperation in the moonlight.

“There’s,” Keith stared at the center of the lake, taking a deep breath, “there’s somebody in the lake.” He was running before Shiro could stop him, chanting as he reached the edge of the water.

“Keith, you can’t swim when you’re this sick.” Shiro was following him, catching Keith’s cloak when he threw it off. Relief hit him when Keith started to walk on the water, tentatively at first before he began to run again, full speed to the center of the lake. Shiro tried to follow, but he was quickly knee-deep in sickly water and stopped, just watching Keith from a distance as he stopped, collapsing near the very middle of the lake, where it was probably at its deepest. “Keith!”

Keith looked back at him briefly, waving a hand in his direction so that Shiro rose from the water, his feet feeling as though they were on solid land now. Shiro bolted to Keith, huffing as he stopped, Keith’s hands already in the water. “I need help,” he hacked, his breathing labored while he tugged on something in the water. Shiro reached in as well, grabbing onto what Keith was holding. The shape registered quick, despite not seeing it through the murky water, it was an arm, with a hand and a shoulder. They both yanked, another hand wrapped around their hands, clinging to them.

It was like drawing a boot out of the mud after a heavy rain, pulling as hard as they could without progress. But soon there was a head, someone gasping for air and as Shiro and Keith tugged the body out of the murk it collapsed into them, eyes wide and blue with pink pupils.

“I thought I was going to die down there.” The fae wiped at his face, silvery markings just below his face which gave Shiro a good guess at just who he might be. The fae shook off his blue wings and looked over his hands, he jumped, sitting back on his knees and dropping Shiro’s prosthetic hand with a fright.

Shiro picked it up quickly, wiping it off a bit and reattaching it. “It’s fake.”

“Oh.” The fae stared, shell-shocked and tired looking as he said a spell to clear all the mud off the three of them, the lake already beginning to clear starting where Lance had been pulled from. He was shaking slightly, jittering as his eyes scanned the area and then Keith and Shiro, “a halfling and a werewolf?” Keith glanced at Shiro and then at himself, looking decidedly more confused than he had been even a few moments ago. “I was expecting--”

“Lance!” The fae’s head turned fast, eyes getting wide as a fae, the other fae Shiro had met, hit him full force. Keith made a noise and gaped, watching them hug and nuzzle against each other, “my prince! You are okay!”

Shiro nudged Keith, looking for answers that Keith seemed to have about the two fae canoodling. Most importantly though, Shiro needed to get Keith’s attention because the spell keeping them afloat above the lake was slipping, and they were slowly sinking towards the water. It was spreading too, the muddy water getting clearer and sparkling out towards the edges. Shiro still didn’t want to fall into it though.

“The Queen of the fae,” Keith said and Shiro’s stomach dropped, “was she the one you saw here a few weeks ago?” Shiro nodded, and Keith twitched, resetting the spell so they’d rise away from the water.

“Allura you shouldn’t be here,” Lance said quickly his eyes darting up at the sky, “oh no.” Everyone followed his eyes, the sky growing black as a purplish figure rose towards the moon, blocking out what little light they were getting from it in the first place.

Shiro jumped up, getting in front of Keith who got up and pressed against Shiro’s back, a hand on his shoulder as he watched the tall figure get closer to them. “Who is that?” Shiro looked at the two fae, who seemed to be surprisingly on their side. Lance was already on his feet, standing side by side with Allura as they watched the figure approach.

Lance didn’t have the chance to answer, his arm extending gracefully and a sleek, almost pretty revolver formed in his palm. Allura still wasn’t looking at him, Zarkon’s hand out like he was calling something to it. “Allura, he’s getting close.” Lance’s voice was low, he glanced between her and Shiro, “it’s yours, don’t let him have it.”

Shiro looked down at his hand, the phantom pain back as a purple gem grew from his palm. He could feel both the gem and his hand start to pull towards Zarkon, and he did the most logical thing he could think of, “Keith, cut my clothes off me.” He turned into a wolf and Keith, despite how startled he looked, sliced off Shiro’s clothes.

“These petty mortals have had what’s rightfully mine all along. Clever little Allura, but you led them right back to me,” Zarkon’s voice rattled the forest, the water of the lake now fully healed as Keith held his knife at the ready. “Your lover was obviously more important than your kingdom.”

“I am the rightful heir, Zarkon.” Allura made a hand gesture, a rapier forming in her hand just as Lance’s revolver had. Zarkon laughed, his hand drawing up to call the gem in Shiro’s palm again and Shiro felt his paw tug towards him in a strange way, but he planted his paw in the dirt hard and growled. The gem was his, he wasn’t going to let Zarkon take it away. He curved around Keith’s legs while the big fae shot towards them. His wings were purple and sparked with an electric power that looked like lightning, his fist ready to hit Keith until a bullet ripped through his wrist. Lance was on the other side of Zarkon now, facing them with his revolver high and at the ready. There was a flurry of wind that followed Zarkon’s fury, turning to attack Lance just in time for Allura’s rapier to wrap around one of his arms and tug him back. It had turned into a whip, though the hilt was still distinctly one of a sword as she tried to pull Zarkon off balance.

“You are not fit to rule!” Zarkon grabbed the whip, pulling Allura to him hard and catching her in the gut with his fist. It was so effortless, Lance was screaming for Allura who staggered back and nearly fell into the water. When Zarkon made another move towards her, Shiro went full force at him, sinking his teeth into Zarkon’s upper thigh after a decent leap. It provided just enough of a distraction for Lance to be at Allura’s side, shooting into Zarkon’s shoulder as he grabbed her and helped her get a good distance away.

“Shiro let him go,” Keith was calling, his knife flying at Zarkon full speed while he ran after it. Zarkon grabbed it, flinging it in another direction, but Keith cast a spell to bring the knife right back to his hand.

Shiro didn’t heed Keith’s advice, drawing as much blood from the fae as he could until he felt Zarkon’s hand on his scruff, tearing him off. He whimpered, whined and squirmed, the fae shaking Shiro in his grip hard until Shiro couldn’t help turning back into a human. Naked and desperately trying to push away from Zarkon however he could, he felt the pull on his prosthetic again. He groaned, the phantom pain back while Zarkon struggled to get control of the gem in his hand.

The back of Keith’s knife came down on Zarkon’s head, but it wasn’t soon enough. The gem flew from Shiro’s hand and Zarkon tossed him like a rag doll. Lance was shooting at Zarkon, trying to get him away from the gem, but he missed Zarkon’s hand this time. The gem Zarkon had stolen from Shiro turned into a sword like Shiro had never seen, broad and flat and littered with black and purple. It glowed, Zarkon’s hand rising as he swung the sword at Keith.

Keith ducked, his tiny knife managing to barely stop the sword above his head, clashing and even sparking for a moment before the force threw Keith back. There was a cracking noise when Keith hit the ground, flopping over as Zarkon fanned his sword out again. It happened in slow motion, Zarkon stepping towards Keith as Keith scrambled to get himself up.

“You two were chosen for a reason!” Allura shouted it, her rapier at the ready as she took another leap for Zarkon. Zarkon hardly paused to catch her sword with the hilt of his own, the metal sparked and clashed, Allura holding her own far better than she had the first time when it wasn’t a desperation move to save someone else. Her eyes burned at the man who was easily twice her size, but she kept talking to Shiro and Keith. “You are not just a witch and werewolf, you are Paladins and Shiro, that gem is rightfully yours.” Zarkon threw Allura back, but she landed on her feet, and Lance appeared and shot again, but then he was thrown backward, leaving Keith alone and scrambling to get back up in the wake of Zarkon’s sword narrowly missing him again.

Shiro could see him swinging his arm, and then he was a wolf again, barking and growling as he leapt at Zarkon. He felt a click as he flew through the air turning back into a human, the gem hitting Shiro’s right hand as Zarkon swung the sword, but by the time it would have hit Keith it was already gone. Shiro’s chest wide and open, his body was weighted with armor, but he hardly even noticed that as he flew.

“Don’t touch him!” Shiro’s right hand glowed, the sword in Zarkon’s hand fading and losing permanence. Zarkon didn’t seem to quite register it as it happened, his arm still swinging as though he still had a sword in hand. But the gem returned to Shiro’s palm, sparkling odd shades of purple Shiro had never seen until it burst in a flood of sparks, forming a solid sword, a Gladius which simmered in the light of the moon, the blade white and shining as it sunk into Zarkon’s back, grinding against his right shoulder blade where his wings met his clothes.

Zarkon staggered, his purple wings falling from his back and his body doubling over when Shiro pulled the sword from him. There was no blood coming out of the wound, Zarkon growled and coughed and started to sink into the water. Keith and Shiro both stared, and the moment Zarkon was fully under the water, Keith went from looking at Zarkon had sunk into the water, to looking at Shiro.

“You’re, you’re a gladiator.” Keith’s eyes were wide and purple, all aglow from the magic he’d been doing as he started to smile. He got to his feet, taking a few quick strides so he could fall into Shiro’s arms. Shiro dropped the sword, but it didn’t hit the water. Instead, the gem sunk itself into the surface of Shiro’s prosthetic, hidden just inside the palm. “Thank god you’re okay.”

Allura was running to them now, her eyes on the spot where Zarkon had sunk and she reached in to pull the massive fae up, but he looked-- different. His skin was no longer ashen purple, and his face looked far less sinister. “You are not getting away so easily,” Allura spoke quickly and then started to chant. Despite the strength of the magic Shiro could feel brewing behind the spell Allura was using, it didn’t make his stomach churn or his head hurt. In fact, Shiro’s head didn’t hurt at all.

Shiro focused in on Keith as Lance jogged up to help Allura. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” Shiro said, kissing Keith’s forehead and holding him tightly. Keith smiled, his arms clinging to the thick, purple cape that Shiro had hanging from the shoulders of his armor. It was about then that Zarkon rose from the ground, his eyes opening wide and his body writhing for a moment before he disappeared completely.

“Where’d you send him?” Keith’s voice was tentative, and Shiro hoped Keith was right that it had been a transportation spell and not something used to kill the fae. Allura brushed her hands off, walking towards the shore of the lake as she spoke.

“To prison,” she said, “he has high crimes against him. Lance, when we return, can you see to it that the halfling and the werewolf are properly rewarded for their help? And take them out of the forest.”

“Yes, your highness.” Lance stopped briefly to kiss her hand, which seemed to be enough to earn a giggle before she drew him in for a swift kiss.

“Actually, hey,” Keith turned to Lance and Allura, who looked as though Keith might have interrupted a moment. “Why do you keep calling me a halfling?”

Allura chuckled, “because you are half fae. Just look at your hand.” Shiro held onto Keith tightly, watching them while Keith’s head fell to looking into his right palm. Shiro’s eyes stayed on Lance and Allura who were discussing something about Shrio and Keith, which is the only reason he was trying to listen. He stayed like that until Keith’s hand gently turned Shiro’s head for him.

“Hey Mr. Werewolf,” Keith smiled sweetly, his hand running over Shiro’s prosthetic gently, turning it over so he could look at Shiro’s palm. He carefully held out his right hand, showing Shiro his own palm, a red gem delicately embedded in the very center that was glowing with familiarity next to Shiro’s own. “We match.”

“It’s because you’re paladins.” Lance was stepping towards them, his hand up to reveal a matching blue gem in his hand. Allura was no longer in sight, but Shiro could feel her magic somewhere deep in the forest. “It bestows a lot of power on the two of you. We knew about you,” Lance made a vague gesture at Keith, “but we had no idea you’d be able to steal the Black Lion’s Gem from Zarkon. It must have chosen you that night Zarkon put me in the lake without you even knowing.”

Both of them just stared at Lance, confused to the point that they couldn’t even start in on questions. Keith was the one who finally spoke up. “You knew about me?”

Lance sighed, “yes, we knew there was a half fae witch who likely had the Red Lion’s Gem.” Keith stared at him still, his eyes going back down to his hand looking worried, but he stopped when Shiro got his arm around his waist. “Don’t worry too much you two,” Lance smacked them both on the shoulder and headed for the sole path that left the clearing with the lake, “we’ll teach you how this all works. Sorry, you kind of showed up in the middle of a war.”

“Wait but,” Keith was following Lance, and Shiro kept close behind him, “how was Shiro able to overpower such a strong fae when he took out a full-blooded fae like you just fine?”

“He didn’t take me out! He stuffed me in the lake of purity to muddy the waters and start killing the forest and flush out the Red Lion’s Gem because he knew you were a plant witch, he wants all the gems, okay?” Lance’s wings fluttered angrily, his arms crossing as he led Keith and Shiro through the woods. “Anyway, we’ll teach you all about this later, for now the two of you should go home and rest.”

“Hold on, why could Keith find you and not Allura?” Shiro could suddenly remember the entire conversation he’d had with her in the woods just about a week ago. Being able to actually have memories that made sense was sort of nice.

“She needed someone with a gem, she doesn’t have one herself and the Red Lion’s Gem is the best for finding other gems,” Lance said, “technically anyone who holds one is part of her royal guard. And by the way Gladiator, your armor is fading.”

Shiro twitched, looking down to find his grieves and skirt looking sort of see-through. He took off his prosthetic, handing it to Keith and shifted into a wolf so he’d be covered. Lance just laughed, his voice sounding just as sweet as Allura’s always did and quickly added, “you have four paws even though you’re missing a hand? You two sure are a strange pair.”

“But you’re going to be the fae King eventually, right?” Keith held up his hand, in turn, holding up Shiro’s with it, which earned another sweet sounding laugh from Lance.

“That’s the goal, but we’ll start in on politics at another time,” Lance waved them both off and then gestured forward. It was then that Shiro realized just where they were, the forest seemed to have shrunk, putting them at the path just before the Holt’s house, even though they’d been hours deep into the forest just moments ago. “You two should be fine from here. I’ll be by your shop in a few days to talk more.”

Both Keith and Shiro looked out at the entrance to their town from the woods, when they looked back to try to ask Lance more questions he was gone. Keith sighed, saying a chant and summoning Shiro some clothes from who knows where. “Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”

Shiro shifted, taking the pants first to pull them on one handed. He took his prosthetic next and then the shirt and Keith made a pair of shoes appear once he was holding less. “Hey babe.”

“Yeah?” Keith was watching Shiro tug on the sneakers, getting a little smile on his face when Shiro grinned at him, “what?”

“You’re not coughing anymore.” Shiro stood up straight and ran his thumb over where the gem had hidden itself in his prosthetic. Keith’s eyes got wide, one of his hands coming up to his lips and then he grinned back at Shiro.

“Does your head hurt?” Keith took Shiro’s hand, slowly leading him out of the forest now.

“Not at all.” Shiro shook his head, his fingers wrapping around Keith’s carefully as they headed into town.

Shiro’s body felt light, he wasn’t sure if he’d just grown used to carrying Keith or if the adrenaline was still pumping. Keith held onto his hand tightly and mumbled casual comments about the foliage, leading Shiro into the diner near the Holt’s and then to the usual booth. They sat down to eat, the same diner as they’d been in so many months ago, sharing bacon and talking quickly about everything that had happened. All of the lightness seemed to melt away, and Shiro was suddenly tired and desperately hungry. Keith had cast a spell so no one around them could understand what they were talking about.

Mostly, they talked so they could process, Shiro could feel magic buzzing in his limbs and it wasn’t something he was used to. Keith could feel the gem in his palm still, complaining that it made his silverware feel strange in his palm. They settled down soon, tired and slowly eating as much food as they could.

“You know,” Keith was biting off a piece sausage from the whole link he’d stabbed with his fork, “I can’t shake something that Lance said before.”

“What’s that?” Shiro was leaning into his plate to shovel a flapjack the size of his head that he’d broken a poached egg over into his mouth rather than cutting it. Keith chuckled, reaching over to set his fork down on the pancake, both to get some of the egg on his sausage and help Shiro break off the pancake.

“He mentioned a war,” Keith said, “and not even that it was over, he said they were in the middle of it.”

Shiro swallowed, licking his lips and looking up at Keith as he chewed the rest of his pancake. “Well,” he said, “I guess we’ll find out what that means.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Keith said, his hand reaching over to take Shiro’s free hand, squeezing the prosthetic gently. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Shiro beamed at Keith, earning him a sweet smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Can't believe this one is over, wish I had finished it for Halloween, but meh! I hope you all enjoyed my lil werewolf fic <3

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of a full-circle celebration since it’s been one year since Bisclavret came out and that was really the start of my very productive year of fic writing, so I wanted to say thank you to everyone who’s been reading all this time!


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